Soul
by DarkNova0
Summary: Nathaniel has taken on an apprentice. He seems to be as equally talented as Nathaniel. But after finding incantations, and summoning a true demon, he believes he'll misuse his gift, therefore submiting to summoning the witty, Bartimaeus once again.
1. No previous contact

Soul

DarkNova0

Chapter 1

"Mr. Mandrake, the boy is here." Nathaniel looked at the imp in front of him. It was an uncommon imp, but scrawny and insufficient nonetheless. "Send him in. But, before you go, tell me his name. So I can skip the introductions." "His name is William Anderson. His application says that he prefers to be called Will," it said. "Yes. Now send the applicant in," the magician demanded.

The imp quickly floated out of the room. My God… being Prime Minister sure has its ups and downs… especially in finding an apprentice, Nathaniel thought. He sighed. "And that George boy had such talent… to bad he was from America…" he said softly.

The door opposite him opened. Nathaniel looked up. He saw a boy of six standing in the doorway. "Go on now. Don't be scared Will," the adult whispered reassuringly. He took a few steps forward, and as the door shut behind him, said, "Hello Mr. M-Mandrake…" Nathaniel was staring at a brown haired child wearing a navy, collared shirt with khaki pants. His shirt was nicely tucked in, and a brown, braided belt was tied about his waist. His brown eyes were partially fogged by the dirt and scratches on his copper glasses.

"Ah, yes. Will, is it? Yes the imp you saw told me somewhat about you. Now… the foster parent currently taking care of you right now tells me you have already, at the age summoned a minor djinni. Also, with only a day's worth of tutoring… hmmm… You remind me much of myself…"

"I… do?" Will asked. Nathaniel looked up. "Yes. I managed to summon a fourth-level djinni when I was twelve."

"Wow… and you were able to control it?" "Yes. Challenging as it was. You… seem curious about the ways of the magician…" The boy's eyes widened. "It's my first encounter with magicians sir," he said.


	2. One Misspelled Rune

Chapter 2

"What?" Nathaniel asked. Not hearing of magicians? That is unheard of! We magicians run the government! We save commoners lives! How can he no have heard of us? He thought. "All I have ever done was by accident. Summoning a djinni of that level was a pure fluke. I would still love to become a magician though Mr. Mandrake," the boy said quietly.

The Prime Minister did not respond. He was in a state of shock. When he recovered, he said to Will, "Show me something." He drew out a book and opened it to a marked page. "Draw this pentacle and summon Siner." Will took a careful look at the page. Then, he pulled out a piece of chalk and began to sketch on the linoleum floor. Nathaniel watched with earnest. If he could summon a second-level djinni, he would take him to be his apprentice.

"May I see the incantation please Mr. Mandrake?" Snapped back to reality, Nathaniel showed him the incantation. "Now before you start, draw a pentacle for me," he stated. "Yes sir," was the swift reply. Will was like an expert, weaving the chalk in and out of other lines, quickly drawing runes in the right places. Nathaniel was sure that he was not the beginner he said he was.

"Finished sir," the boy said. Without pausing to check the boy's work, he stepped into the pentacle. "Now recite the words," he said blankly. Will began to mutter. For a split second, Nathaniel remembered his first summoning with his master, Underwood. For moments, it had seemed the summoning had failed. Then, the candles on his oak desk fell and caught fire to papers nearby. He had almost stepped out, when his master yelled and he froze on the spot. He had gone to bed hungry that night, and determined to prove he was a worthwhile apprentice.

A loud bang brought him back to his senses. Smoke filled the opposite pentacle. A grizzly cub sat in the sketch when the smoke cleared. The cub began to whine. It stood, and then walked about the pentacle, searching for any flaws. Then, after no mistakes were spotted, he looked toward the boy's and Nathaniel's. The cub grinned after briefly scanning the Minister's. Nathaniel looked about his own, realizing he had not checked before the incantation. He flinched. A rune was missing on the southern end of the pentacle!

The cub quickly turned to a full grown adult. Will looked at his drawing. Seeing no wrongs, he scanned mine and grimaced. He mouthed the words, Should I use the seven Words of Dismissal? Nathaniel nodded, but a millisecond to late. The demon pounced at Nathaniel, screeching an eerie sound. Will covered his ears and shut his eyes. Seeing no point in standing in a confined area, the man stepped out of the pentacle and fired a Detonation. The demon nimbly dodged the attack.

Almost upon Nathaniel, he spoke the Systemic Vise. The demon stopped in its tracks as he began to say the last syllable. Seeing the future pain, the demon departed. Nathaniel heaved a sigh of relief. Then, remembering another person in the room, he turned to face Will. Surprisingly, he still stood in the pentacle. Shaking like a leaf, but there. "Well Will! That was… interesting. But, although I could have been injured, I told myself if you managed to summon it, I would allow you to start your apprenticeship under me. Now get your things from the hall and we'll be off.

The boy ran out in joy, and as the door closed, Nathaniel sighed. Did he purposely misplace that rune, or was it an accident? He thought to himself.


	3. Learning and Prospering

Chapter 3

In Nathaniel's black car, Will sat, staring out at the countryside. Out of nowhere, the boy asked, "Mr. Mandrake, if you're Prime Minister, why do you live in the country?" Nathaniel chuckled. "Well, I don't want tall buildings and smoke from factories to block my vision of the horizon," he said as he smiled. Will's eyes drifted back to the window.

A strange character this Will is, Nathaniel thought. "Serena," Nathaniel said. A Succubi of particular beauty appeared beside her master. "Yes?" "Please take care of the boy next to me. Boy?" "Eh?" came the semi-conscious voice. "Do not reveal your name to Serena. She is of noticeable attraction, but she will teach you the basics of magic. Just don't stare at any part of her body except for her face. Do I make myself clear?" Will looked up at Nathaniel. "Guess so."

Serena took a good look at the boy, then floated behind him. "Churk." Another demon appeared, only this time, a djinni. "Yes Milord?" he asked with an eagerness to please. "I want you to stay with this boy at all times. Follow him where ever he goes. End of story. Got it?" The djinni looked wounded. "Guarding this little wretch? What a waste of time…" Nathaniel sighed. "After a few months, I will dismiss both of you. You have both been of great use to me. "Thank you Sir," the pair said in unison.

The car pulled into the driveway of a large home. Two stories tall, and at least fifty feet wide. It seemed like a mansion to Will, who had seen only average houses. It was surrounded by search spheres and moulers on the second plane. All but the sixth was left unguarded. After hearing the names of the djinni Simon Lovelace used to control, he had decided to summon Farqual to guard his own estate.

Farqual walked up in his traditional chef's disguise. "Welcome back Mr. Mandrake. And is this the new one then?" "Yes. Please introduce yourselves, as I have business to attend to." Nathaniel rushed into his home, leaving the two to talk.

He barged into his office, then sat at his computer. He pulled up the internet and then did a search for William Anderson. Nothing was brought up. "It may have been an accident. Don't get suspicious Nathaniel…" he said to himself.

The next few days, Will learned the basics of pentacles and runes. He asked frequent questions, but was an excellent student. When he was turning nine, Nathaniel gave him a pair of spectacles, then allowed him to assist in summoning. Only minor tasks of course. It was Churk who took an extreme liking to the boy. He was with him everywhere, as ordered, but did so in a cheery fashion. He had quickly become friends with Will.

Two weeks after his ninth birthday, he summoned a Madrid with Nathaniel's help, then quickly progressed to higher demons. Will's interest never died down. One moment he was finishing a spell book, the next, he was halfway through another. He quickly learned other languages and was brought to meetings in the Parliament. He sometimes piped in as well.

"But if the demons of America continue to attack our settlements, all hope will be lost there. Then, morale will increase in America, and our troops will be devastated by oncoming waves of afrits and djinni! We must secure the perimeter of each and every settlement!" he had once said during a meeting.

Nathaniel forgot any judgment against him, and quickly learned he could trust him. Until he found a scroll hidden in the cellar of the home.


	4. Trouble at Parliament

Chapter 4

It began with a visit to the Parliament. Nathaniel was confident of Will now; he has successfully summoned a second-level djinni and dismissed it without a second thought. He was now beginning to bring him to every meeting. He had strange ideas, but they were sometimes helpful. Once, he had noticed a small fly in the corner of the room. He immediately fired a minor Detonation at it, and it was revealed to be a natterjack imp. He was hailed and praised that day, for they had been discussing a war plan against America.

One problem with his plans though, was that they somehow involved losing djinni or London's troops. And they were not in a position to sacrifice anyone at the moment. Already troops were laid out quite thin in America.

Tonight was a different night altogether. It was a Welcome Home party for the first brigade of troops to return to London. It was a wondrous night. As soon as you walked in the door, waiters surrounded you, asking if you'd like some cheese with crackers, or possibly some red wine.

Nathaniel and Will headed straight for his friends. "Samantha! I'm so glad you made it!" Nathaniel said immediately. A young woman turned and smiled. "I'm glad I could too! Husband wanted me to pick up his dry cleaning. So I said to, 'If I do that Michael, I'll shove it up your useless butt when I get back.' Oh God, the look on that man's face. You should have seen it! It looked like he'd been shot with a shotgun!" At that, the few adults with Nathaniel and Samantha burst into a fit of cackling and laughing.

"Boy, go find yourself a waiter and get you a glass of white wine. You need to loosen up!" He pushed Will slightly towards a server. Apparently they had things to talk about. He began to walk up the stairs, where he knew a refreshment table would be. When he got their, he plucked a glass from the table and sipped at it.

An arm grabbed his forearm firmly. "What do you think you are doing boy! Those drinks are for magicians and their apprentices!" a voice hissed. Will looked to his right, and saw a chubby magician wearing a plum tuxedo. Then, he down at his own decorum, and saw he was in jeans and a light blue sweatshirt. "Oh. I am a magician's apprentice, the Prime Minister's in fact. He sent me to get a glass of wine," he said calmly. "We just didn't have enough time to change into presentable clothes." "'Enough time' my hand, which will be throwing you out now!" the chubby man said.

Then, something invisible lifted the man into the air and spun him around. "He's the Prime Minister's apprentice alright. I think you should apologize!" Churk said gleefully. The man's face had turned green now. He wouldn't be able to get the words out of his mouth if he tried. Will realized this and said, "Churk, stop. He won't be able to say that while you're flinging him in mid-air!" "If you say so mate!" Churk stopped abruptly, letting go as he did. The man flew forward and straight into a cluster of magicians. Not just any magicians either; it was the Prime Minister and his friends!

Nathaniel quickly stood, and looked at the direction in which the man had come. At the scene, he saw two things. His own apprentice, and his unruly djinni. He stormed over to the pair, face as red as a beet. He then grabbed him by the arm and said quietly, "Home. Now." The trio exited stage right, and was brought to Nathaniel's estate. And nothing could have infuriated him more than his apprentice throwing his secretary off the stairs, and into him, embarrassing him beyond comprehension.


End file.
